This invention relates to an animal watering device for supplying drinking water to an animal.
Animals such as beef and dairy cattle of course require to receive drinking water while they are generally confined to a pen or other location where they cannot access water at will.
Various designs of water dispensing device have been provided from the very simple open trough to various forms of drinking cups. Most animals of this type are sufficiently intelligent to actuate various forms of valve to dispense water into a trough or cup from which the water can be drunk.
In many cases animals confined to a pen tend to alleviate boredom by licking at a water dispenser or generally playing with the water dispenser leading to dispensing of excess amounts of water and spillage. Such excess water is of course disadvantageous in that it increases the amount of water required, and since the excess water falls to the floor in spillage or passes through the animal and requires an increased amount of clean up.
Particularly cattle who are often supplied with drinking water in a drinking cup or fountain with a flap valve or nose button, the open accessibility of the water encourages the animal to lick at the device tending to spill or spread water around the device. This excess water constantly dripping around the area of the drinking fountain can lead to corrosion of metal and concrete parts and can spoil bedding and feed.